2024 Hurricane Helene and Aftermath

[Bootstrap]

I expect most of them didn't know they were even in flood zones. They were just at their houses.

I'm talking about hurricanes in general. Are you answering that as well. If you live near an ocean, I think you could expect flooding.

The worst of the hurricane was far from the ocean. We live in central NC and got a little more of it than the coast. Western Carolina got the brunt of it.

[Ernie]

Here is one discussion about the models being used by NHC.

[Bootstrap]

Here is one discussion about the models being used by NHC.

https://www.reddit.com/r/meteorology/co ... ack_error/

Good discussion.

There are real limits to what we can know as humans. We forget that sometimes. We can act like some human being should be omnipotent and always able to tell us how to be safe. Life isn't like that.

[QuietlyListening]

To add to much of the flooding issues in the Carolinas is the rain that came before the hurricane and all the water in the mountains ends up going down- adding to already full streams and rivers. I've seen it in hurricanes in the past and that was just the hurricane rain itself not days of rain prior to the hurricane. I remember how Gloria affected the Shenandoah valley. Agnes was another hurricane that affected inland with unbelievable flooding.

As for people parking cars in flood zones- for many they have no where else to put it- some towns - the entire town is a flood zone - where to park it. And some folks always want to believe it will hit anywhere but their town/street/house etc.

[GaryK]

Something I always wonder is why so many vehicles are left in flood zones and under trees. Do people just figure insurance will cover any losses?

My parents in Georgia slept peacefully through it because the forecast was for rain and 40 mph winds. They woke with no power and 17 of 30 pecan trees around their house on the ground. I think many were caught unaware because these storms in the past were depleted quickly when they hit land.

So the forecasters didn't do very well at predicting? Might this have been the case all over the southeast?

I guess I am amazed that with all the technology these days, forecasters are still caught off guard.

It was forecasted that they eye was going to come right through our area beginning around 2:00 AM. Before I went to bed around 9:30, I checked the Weather Channel and it showed a slight turn eastward. I got up at 2:30 expecting lots of wind and thunderstorms and checked the path again and it had definitely made a turn east. The highest gusts we had were 30-40 mph, with very little damage in our area.

I was chatting with barnhart's brother in east GA and he too said they went to bed thinking it was going to be a blustery 30-40 mph night but the weather people are now saying the wind speeds were close to 100 mph instead. So, just a little turn east made so we barely had any wind and they got the brunt of it.

My daughter and her husband, who is from that area, were over there doing a job and said it got pretty scary there for a while.

[Ernie]

It was forecasted that they eye was going to come right through our area beginning around 2:00 AM. Before I went to bed around 9:30, I checked the Weather Channel and it showed a slight turn eastward. I got up at 2:30 expecting lots of wind and thunderstorms and checked the path again and it had definitely made a turn east. The highest gusts we had were 30-40 mph, with very little damage in our area.

I was chatting with barnhart's brother in east GA and he too said they went to bed thinking it was going to be a blustery 30-40 mph night but the weather people are now saying the wind speeds were close to 100 mph instead. So, just a little turn east made so we barely had any wind and they got the brunt of it.

Interesting. So did people in your area make plans for the hurricane, or did everybody just hope it would all work out ok? Just curious.

[GaryK]

It was forecasted that they eye was going to come right through our area beginning around 2:00 AM. Before I went to bed around 9:30, I checked the Weather Channel and it showed a slight turn eastward. I got up at 2:30 expecting lots of wind and thunderstorms and checked the path again and it had definitely made a turn east. The highest gusts we had were 30-40 mph, with very little damage in our area.

I was chatting with barnhart's brother in east GA and he too said they went to bed thinking it was going to be a blustery 30-40 mph night but the weather people are now saying the wind speeds were close to 100 mph instead. So, just a little turn east made so we barely had any wind and they got the brunt of it.

Interesting. So did people in your area make plans for the hurricane, or did everybody just hope it would all work out ok? Just curious.

A lot of people did. All generators in the area were sold out and a lot of runs on the grocery stores.

[Ken]

According to the news, Helene is now the second deadliest hurricane to hit the US in 50 years (first was Katrina).

The deadliest of all time to hit the US was the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 which killed somewhere between 6,000 and 12,000. Apparently they never got a better number but 8,000 is the consensus estimate.

[temporal1]

i've seen some of the pictures.
the devastation is just horrible.

Yes, it is indeed horrible. The degree of devastation and area of devastation is really hard to wrap one's mind around.

^^Along with the many man-made horrors going on in the world, it’s overwhelming.

Anybody know of a website that can tell me how many utility trucks are headed to the region?

i expect every possible effort from across the country will be made.
i was shocked at the trucks that responded when we had 15 electric poles downed by a tornado. that was tiny in comparison.

^^not sure of when-where this pic is from.

AP / “Supplies arrive by plane and by mule in North Carolina as Helene’s death toll tops 130”
https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-he ... 3abb82252f

It was forecasted that they eye was going to come right through our area beginning around 2:00 AM. Before I went to bed around 9:30, I checked the Weather Channel and it showed a slight turn eastward. I got up at 2:30 expecting lots of wind and thunderstorms and checked the path again and it had definitely made a turn east. The highest gusts we had were 30-40 mph, with very little damage in our area.

I was chatting with barnhart's brother in east GA and he too said they went to bed thinking it was going to be a blustery 30-40 mph night but the weather people are now saying the wind speeds were close to 100 mph instead. So, just a little turn east made so we barely had any wind and they got the brunt of it.

My daughter and her husband, who is from that area, were over there doing a job and said it got pretty scary there for a while.

Gary, So glad you posted.
i’ve been wondering which forum members may be impacted. You, Jess77, RickH, undershepherd .. ?? Others?

ABL / Anthony Brian Logan / Hurricane Helene Damage In Asheville NC Is MUCH WORSE Than Imagined! / 14min

^^At about 4:45 mark, they talk about STARLINK, GENERATORS, SOLAR.

[JoyE]

Our yard in central SC had three major branches and three power lines down. So we lost our electricity at 6:02 Friday morning, and when my sister and I left on Monday morning for the airport, to fly to South Africa, we did it in the dark. We saw maybe twenty utility trucks on the Interstate, heading to help. Fortunately our city provided plenty of charging stations for people's phones, and evacuation spaces. Our small church provided a free meal to all on Sunday.